Formula E
Formula E, officially the FIA Formula E Championship, is a top-level class of open-wheeled single-seater motor racing that uses purely electrical cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. Its first season was the 2014–15 season. The grid consists of eighteen drivers from nine teams driving cars were are homologated for the first season, with teams allowed to start developing their own car parts from 2015–16 onwards. Former driver Nelson Piquet, Jr. won the first series, and former driver Sébastien Buemi took the title is the second series. Buemi would also fight for the title in the third edition of Formula E, although he was ultimately beaten by another ex-F1 racer in Lucas di Grassi. Links to F1 The main link between Formula E and F1, apart from the FIA (which regulates both) is the large number of personnel which have gone from F1 to Formula E. These ties are set to get stronger too, as the World Motor Sport Council's most recent meeting in Mexico City in July 2015 announced that the Formula E Champion would automatically qualify for a Super Licence.'WORLD MOTOR SPORT COUNCIL 2015 - MEXICO', fia.com, (FIA, 10/07/2015), http://www.fia.com/news/world-motor-sport-council-2015-mexico, (Accessed 11/07/2015) F1 drivers Note: Only drivers who have completed in a round of the Formula One World Championship are listed here. *'Bold' indicates the driver is an FIA Formula E Champion. F1 people Several other drivers with F1 experience (in testing or practice sessions) have also competed in Formula E, while numerous other people involved (in various respects) are also involved. * Michael Andretti (team owner) * Adrián Campos (team manager) * Allan McNish (team principal) * Mark Preston (team principal) * Alain Prost (team owner) * Aguri Suzuki (team owner) * Jarno Trulli (team owner) Manufacturers Currently, , engine suppliers for Red Bull Racing and in the 2017 Formula One season, are a partner in the Formula E Championship, and back one of the teams, Renault e.Dams. From 2015/16, Renault also built powertrains for Formula E, with the success potentially deciding whether they continue in Formula One or not. and also currently work with Spark, the manufacturer of the basic Formula E car, providing components such as the battery and powertrain respectively. The 2016/17 season would see more F1 links formed, as ex-F1 engine supplier partnered with the Andretti Formula E team with the aim of running a factory effort by the 2018/19 season. They would be joining ex-F1 constructor Jaguar Racing, a move which brought Jaguar back to international motorsport for the first time since they sold the original effort to Red Bull. The British marque would make their bow at the start of the third season of FE, having formed a partnership with Williams as they also increased their involvement in the series. From 2017/18, more current and former F1 manufacturers announced their intentions to join the series, with and joining the entry list from 2019/20 onwards.'Porsche set to compete in Formula E from Season 6', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 28/07/2017), http://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2017/july/porsche-set-to-compete-in-formula-e-from-season-6/, (Accessed 28/07/2017) The former would initially commit to running its F1 and FE programmes alongside one another, while the latter cancelled its World Endurance Championship effort to instead focus on the electric single seaters.'Mercedes-Benz to enter Formula E in Season 6', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 24/07/2017), http://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2017/july/mercedes-benz-to-enter-formula-e-in-season-6/, (Accessed 25/07/2017) Notes External links * Official website * Formula E Wiki * Wikipedia article Category:Motor racing series